Nighttime Reflection
by PrinRue
Summary: "None of this would have happened, and I mean none of it, if I had never shot down Toothless in the first place!" RTTE S6E10 'Darkest Night'. An extension of the angst and reflection presented in that episode. Hiccup/Toothless bonding; h/c


**Does anyone else think that episode "The Darkest Night" is literally a fanfic? Lol**

**Anyway, I'm not that big a fan of that episode itself, as the pacing is really weird and the scenarios are (obviously) super rushed, but it has what just might be my favorite message of the entire series: everyhting that happened to Hiccup and Toothless happened for a purpose, and they're exactly where they're supposed to be in life. I don't know why, but something about that message is just so poignant to me, and I love it. (Plus that outburst scene and subsequent short moment with Hiccup and Toothless is just wonderful)**

**I don't know when this takes place... I guess I just extended the scene between Astrid's story and Hiccup going back to his house? **

**Anyway, with all that out of the way, enjoy!**

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Most days, the cliff off the edge of Berk, the one that overlooked Raven Point, was just that: a cliff. But tonight, in the near pitch blackness, it felt like so much more.

Hiccup stood on the clearing, the buildings of his home village behind him, in the exact same spot he'd stood three years ago. He'd been so different then; the village screw up, incompetent, yearning for something to make him like everyone else. So much so that he'd brought an invention made to trap a dragon so elusive it was nearly a myth. It wasn't a myth, though, and he'd been successful in shooting it down... and it was that one catalytic moment that had set his life on the path to where it was today.

Hiccup sighed, sitting down in the spot and pulling his knees to his chest. What Astrid had said earlier was right; he was exactly where he was supposed to be, and so was Toothless. But even with this knowledge in his _heart_, he couldn't help but still feel like his outburst in the Great Hall earlier was true.

_"None of this would have happened, and I mean _none _of it, if I had never shot Toothless down in the first place. You know it. I know it. Berk knows it. Everyone knows it! ...Even he knows it." _

Of course, he knew that wasn't fair to Toothless. Still, he couldn't help but think. Had he never shot the Night Fury down, Hiccup knows exactly where _he _would be. He'd still be _Hiccup, _the one from three years ago. But what Astrid had failed to mention in her what-if scenario was where _Toothless _would be if he'd never been shot down.

He'd still be free, flying on his own will, and Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if he'd be… happier. Obviously, Toothless was happy with his life; but surely he'd be _happier _if he'd never lost his flight… even if that also meant never he'd never befriended the humans.

The recognizable sound of Toothless' heavy step came up behind Hiccup, but he suppressed the urge to turn. This was concerning to the Night Fury, as his human _always _acknowledged his presence. What was wrong with him?

Toothless came around the side of Hiccup, forcing his head into his sightline. The dragon grumbled questioningly, but in response Hiccup just pushed his head away.

"Not now, Toothless. I… I just need some time alone."

Said Night Fury simply set his chin on Hiccup's knees in response. Knowing he couldn't force the dragon off him, Hiccup just sighed and moved so Toothless could lay his head on his lap. He set his left hand on the reptile's head, while resting back on his right, and gently stroked his black scales.

"I'm really sorry, Toothless. For what I said earlier. But it's also true… isn't it?" Toothless huffed in acknowledgment. "We would be in very different places, every single one of us, if I hadn't made that lucky shot with the bola… and I can't help but feel like maybe it would have been better that way. Sure, things may not be that great for _me _in that scenario, but you… I think maybe you'd be better off without me…"

Toothless cooed sadly. He often wished he could speak to his human, but in moments like these, it was near infuriating to not be able to tell him what he was thinking. Because truth be told, Toothless _wouldn't _have been happier if he'd never been shot down. Did he sometimes wish that he still had the ability to fly on his own? Of course he did. But he would _never_ trade his flight for the bond he'd created with his best friend. It was unthinkable; Hiccup meant so much more to him than a missing tailfin. Before Hiccup, Toothless was a survivor, only ever trying to get to the next day. He didn't have friends, creatures he cared about back then.

And it was even more than that. Toothless _relied _on Hiccup, not just to move his fake tailfin in the air, but also to keep him grounded. Hiccup was his rock, the person he could always count on to support him and help him through whatever he might be dealing with. He _needed_ his human, both physically and mentally.

But he didn't know how to tell Hiccup that.

Toothless lifted his head up, repositioning himself so he could see his human's face. He motioned with his nose to Hiccup, then to himself.

"What about us?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless purred, rubbing his head against his friend's arm, before pulling back and smiling at him.

"What, you think I'm wrong?" The dragon nodded. "How can I be wrong? The proof is right there in front of you, strapped to your own tail. You're telling me you would rather be in _this_ reality than some other one? One where I _didn't _ruin your ability to fly? Is that it?"

Toothless blinked, taken aback by the outburst.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

_"No!" _Toothless growled, baring his teeth at his infuriatingly stubborn human. How could he get it through to Hiccup when he couldn't even speak the same language?

Without thinking, Toothless latched his grip onto his friend's fake leg (since he knew it wouldn't hurt him), and practically threw the boy onto his saddle.

"Toothless- let go of me- what are you-" the dragon cut him off by leaping off the cliff and into the open air.

Because he knew that Hiccup wouldn't let him fall.

For a few terrifying moments, he struggled to stay airborne, but, just as he knew would happen, he heard a click and felt his balance return, the two of them shooting into the sky.

"For the love of Thor, Toothless, where are we going?" Hiccup demanded, but said dragon just screeched at him.

_"Somewhere important!" _He roared. _"Just trust me!" _

After a minute of flying, Toothless dove into the trees, landing them in a very familiar spot. There was a lake in the center of a mossy bowl, and a rock wall at least three times his length surrounding it all.

Their Cove.

Hiccup slid off Toothless, who then turned around, waiting expectantly.

"That was one muttonheaded kind of trust exercise, you know."

He knew. But it also only served to prove his point; they needed each other.

"Why did you bring us here? To remind me even more of my past mistakes?" Hiccup walked over to the rock wall, running his hand over a dark mark where Toothless had fired into it when he was trapped there. "The place you spent days trying to escape because of me?"

It's true that the Cove was a prison to Toothless when he first crash landed there three years ago. But he didn't think of it as that anymore.

Because it was also the place where he first learned to trust Hiccup, where he got his name, where he and his human first touched, where he began to wonder if there was more to life than just surviving. It was where he spent hours waiting for the human to reappear, where he relearned how to fly, where he changed his opinion on everything he thought he knew.

It was where he met his best friend, and where his life had changed forever.

Yes, the Cove had some bad memories attached to it; but it also had some of the best of his life. And he knew deep down, Hiccup felt the same way. He just had to remind him.

Toothless made his way over to his human, nudging him gently and cooing.

Hiccup sighed. "I didn't mean for it come out that way. Today is just… not a good day, Bud."

_"I know." _

"But how am I supposed to think? In the end, that one action _is_ what lead us to where we are today. And even if I don't regret it leading me to meeting you, I do regret what it cost you. What it cost all of us… Was it really all worth it?"

_"It was to me." _Toothless rubbed his head against Hiccup. _"And I know your friends feel the same way." _

Hiccup smiled slightly, his dragon's message clear. "Thanks, Toothless." He leaned up against the dragon, resting his head on the other's. "You're right. Astrid was right. Thor, even Tuffnut was right. This moment, right here, right now, is exactly what it's supposed to be.

"I shot you down. I took away your ability to fly. But I also befriended you. Together, we took down the greatest threat to dragonkind, and changed everything for Vikings and dragons alike. And yes, like Tuff seems so insistent on reminding me about, you got to take a bit of me as payback." The boy and dragon laughed a little at that. "But none of it was by chance. Each event, each decision, each thought that lead us to this moment happened just how it was supposed to. I can't go back and change it even if I wanted to. And I shouldn't get so worked up over something that lead to the best thing in my life." Hiccup put his arm around Toothless. "You're the reason I am who I am today. And I meant what I said earlier, as... horribly as I said it; I'll never regret shooting you down. I'll regret some of the effects, but never the action itself. How's that sound, Bud?" Hiccup cupped his hands on Toothless' cheeks, getting a lick to the face in response.

After a minute of sitting like this, Toothless shifted, gesturing up and in the direction of town. _"Ready to leave?"_

"In a minute. Let's just… stay like this a little longer."

Toothless rumbled gently, settling his head back on Hiccup's lap. _"That's fine with me." _

And in that moment, everything else ceased to exist, and it was just Hiccup and Toothless. The pair of best friends, brothers in all but blood, who came together at a very specific time, for a very specific purpose, due to a very lucky accident. And nothing else mattered.

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**why do I suck at endings so much (And why doesn't strikethrough work anymore?)**

**Hope you all enjoyed! Till next story!**


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